Davit VII of Georgia

Davit VII of Georgia (1215-1270) was the king of Georgia from 1247 to 1270, succeeding Davit VI of Georgia and preceding Demetre II of Georgia.

Biography
Davit was born in 1215 to the House of Bagrationi, a dynasty of Orthodox Christian Georgians. Davit was the bastard son of Giorgi IV of Georgia by a non-noble woman, so his aunt Queen Rusudan of Georgia had him imprisoned at the court of Kakhhusraw II of Rum for seven years and had her son Davit VI of Georgia crowned at the court of the Mongol Empire, but Kaykhusraw was defeated at the Battle of Sivas in 1243 and Davit was freed. Davit was crowned as king in 1247 by nobles who believed that King Davit VI had died in 1244, and Guyuk Khan recognized Davit VII as king. In 1256 he helped in the siege of Alamut, but in 1260 he refused to help the Mongol campaign against the Qutuzid Sultanate, remembering the Georgian losses at the Sack of Baghdad in 1258. He revolted against the Mongols, so the Mongols crushed his revolt in 1261 and killed his wife Gvantsa of Georgia. In 1262 he surrendered, and he allied with the Ilkhanate. In 1263 he defended against the Golden Horde Mongols and defeated Berke in 1265, but Mongol dominance eventually led Georgia to fragment as Davit's cousin Davit VI ruled other parts of the country. He died at the age of 55 in 1270, and he was succeeded by Demetre II of Georgia.